``Letter to my past first teacher´´

This video helped me in my first month of school to stay calm and hope. So I don't want to lose the opportunity to share it with you. I hope you will help all first teachers ...

First day of school, first day at a new job... everything seems overwhelming when a teacher began his career.

They asked these teachers to write a letter to your "last" what advice would have given themselves in their first day of class, knowing what they know now?

To see the video click here:

Letter to my past

Do you use worksheets in you lessons?

'Inspectors will be checking schools to ensure that pupils have access to textbooks and library books, rather than “scrappy worksheets”'.

https://www.tes.co.uk/news/school-news/breaking-news/ofsted-schools-should-not-tolerate-scrappy-worksheets

Let's practice TPR song!! Fun Action-Verbs Song for Kids: What Can You Do?

What is the best method to use in L2?

Natural Approach

Learning a LE you are achieved with prior teaching pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, etc. As opposed to the mother tongue that all these aspects are learned unconsciously, foreign language usually learn in a different context, most of the time in the classroom, then learning is conscious and gradual. However, when the process of teaching / learning is aimed at children from kindergarten or primary requires a natural approach to the learner to acquire a foreign language in a playful way and unconscious. (Moya Jimenez Guijarro and Puado, 2004, p.129)

We believe that the natural method is ideal since it is based on the teaching / learning naturally, based on the similarities of the acquisition of the mother tongue and foreign, as well as the critical period still present in the first cycle of Primary Education . For this reason the natural method will serve the age factor. Krashen's theories discussed above, have served as the basis and reference to the method, which is especially formulated for learning foreign languages ​​at an early age. Below we will explain the natural method from the five hypothesis Krashen, using each as a reason for this choice:

The acquisition-learning hypothesis emphasizes that complete mastery of a language is achieved with the acquisition and not learning, so the acquisition of English in EP You will have to be natural and unconscious in the same way that breast is acquired.

Assuming the natural order must refer to the master EP You must be aware of the mechanisms of acquisition of both the mother tongue and foreign, to know what the student can give him. It will be impossible for the child to get achievements in LE if you have not yet reached that stage in the first language.

As for the hypothesis of the monitor, the master shall conduct the learner to feel the need to use English as a communication tool.

The hypothesis of the input, in this sense, the teacher must produce a basic language they understand their students well while being a bit above their knowledge to get the input (i + 1) in them and so these get progress in their learning.

We must take into account the stage of silence for the student passes. Although the trainee has moments that do not talk is not synonymous with failure, but that students are evolving and building new structures of the English language.

In conclusion, we reaffirm the idea that the natural method is ideal for this process of teaching / learning as it is based on the communicative use of English naturally. Thus, the apprentice is in "critical period" unconsciously learn this language, without realizing and using English as a necessary tool to communicate.

To complete the natural method, which can say that naturally stimulates communication skills, we think you need to add movement to conclude this election. This movement will be achieved by the TPR, which compaginaremos with the natural method to get the apprentice early age by moving anime, encourage and attract the use of communication skills. And as we said before these two methods get collated children develop the first two linguistic skills that can be acquired:

• Listen (understanding)

• Expression (communication)

Total Physical Response: a good methodology to teach in english

The TPR, as they say, Sanchez, Richards and Rodgers, is based on the psychological theory of the footprint according to Sanchez:

Retention is higher the more intense and frequent the track or trail you leave on the mind a certain rote association. Such trace or trail can be of various kinds: oral or motor (association to a movement or action). (1997, p. 224)

On the other hand referring to the theorist who developed this method, James Asher, such an association occurs on the right side hemisphere, since the left hemisphere only learn when the right acts.

This method is ideal for preschool children, favorable at all times as motivation (a determining factor in the acquisition of a foreign language), by association between language and movement. It is also one of the most applications span in the classroom. For example, with songs, stories, poems, routines, etc.

Thus, the method of the total physical response also addresses the affective filter hypothesis. Foreign language teachers have to bear in mind this aspect because the motivation, which is closely linked with this hypothesis, it appears as a factor in this learning. It is necessary for the teacher at all times perform activities and use strategies to promote a safe and motivating environment in the classroom. You have to stimulate communication skills through movements that lead to success in student learning. Thus, the TPR serves the determining factor of motivation.

The apprentice when he is unable to understand the message of his master, capture the communication from the actions and movements that the teacher asks you to do, ie messages, you get the message not their linguistic form, but by the gesture that accompanies and context. For example when entering the classroom, the teacher says Hello everybody! while moving the hand; but students do not understand the words, move your hand to see the teacher, you will be greeted too.

We see this explanation timely completion of TPR exposing the principles of this method according Murado Bouso (2010, pp 75-76.)

- Find reduce anxiety when acquiring a foreign language.

- The role of the teacher is the director, so that students imitate their messages until they are ready to issue them for themselves.

- Oral skills (listening and speaking) in the same way as is done in the mother tongue prevail.

- Grammar structure used is more imperative, because this is a repeated figure in language aimed at children when they learn their first language.

- The native language often used at first, but thanks to the use of body movements, soon passed into the background.

- Evaluation of the results is immediately through the observation of the actions carried out by the students.

- Mistakes are part of learning, so supported and understood in the context in which they occur.

It can be seen that this method includes all the above in the theoretical framework and justification of the methods. The above principles the need to promote teacher because the student has potential but is up to the teacher to propose the resources to develop it.

To conclude this section, and responding to a part of the overall objective, reference deserves another author. Monistrol Lola is one of the nine memories, loving and teaching the children, who composed the book "Memoirs of the board." This book recounts his memories of when he was a teacher and a phrase captures the essence of teaching: "Now we are taught otherwise and in twenty years certainly of a different, but the essence of the work of the master is the same: wake students to the world and life, discover the benefits that a boy or a girl can give. "(Carmen Guaita, 2012, p. 31).

“Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand.”

WHAT'S A WEB QUEST? A USEFUL CLIL TOOL

One of the most common activities undertaken by students on the Internet is searching for information, often with the help of search engines like Google, AltaVista, Excite, Lycos or Yahoo. However, these investigations are difficult, time-consuming activities and that can be frustrating if the objectives are not clearly reflected and explained at first.

The WebQuests are structured and guided to avoid these providing students with a well-defined task and resource constraints and the slogans that allow them to perform activities. Instead of wasting hours searching for information, students are appropriated, interpret and exploit the specific information that the teacher assigns.

The WebQuest is an extremely simple model and rich learning to promote the educational use of Internet, based on cooperative learning and research processes to learn. It is a learning methodology based primarily on the resources provided by the Internet that encourage students to research, enhance critical thinking, creativity and decision-making, contributing to develop different skills and taking students to transform the knowledge acquired .

A WebQuest is focused on research activity, which information is used by students, mostly, downloaded from the Internet. Basically it is a targeted exploration, culminating in the production of a web page, where the outcome of an investigation is published.

This model created by Bernie Dodge in 1995 has more than 40,000 web pages, with proposals for educators in many countries. WebQuests have been designed for students to make good use of time and use oriented tasks rather than looking information. The Webquests arouse interest because they organize and direct the work of students and teachers.

As you can see, with this tool you can work all the CLIL's aspects using English to find out new information about different subjetcs.

Now, you can find here a WebQuest created by myself.

I hope you like it.

PISA - Measuring student success around the world

It's a breathtaking concept, but for the OECD, it's the best way to find out how well-prepared today's students are  able to participate in society. If you're not quite sure what PISA is or does, and you've got about 12 minutes to spare, grab a comfortable chair. 

This video will help you to understand why the OECD's number-crunchers trigger such intense debate about the state of education around the world every time they release the results of the latest PISA survey.